Tuesday, December 31, 2013

THE BUTCHER'S BILL 2013


EVERY DECEMBER, AS THE YEAR DRAWS TO A CLOSE, IT IS MY SAD DUTY TO LIST THE NOTABLES WHO LEFT US THIS YEAR. 

Take a moment to read the names and remember.


  • PATTI PAGE, singer  "Tennessee Waltz", "Doggie in the Window"
  • CHARLES CHILTON,  BBC radio writer/producer/presenter "Journey Into Space"
  • SAMMY JOHNS, singer  "Chevy Van"
  • NED WERTIMER, actor  "The Jeffersons"
  • MARIANGELA MELATO, actress  "Swept Away", "Flash Gordon"
  • NAGISA OSHIMA, director  "In the Realm of the Senses"
  • CONRAD BAIN, actor  "Maude", "Diff'rent Strokes"
  • PAULINE PHILLIPS, columnist  "Dear Abby"
  • MICHAEL WINNER, director  "Burke and Hare", "Death Wish"
  • SALLY STARR, TV host
  • RALPH COLLIER, radio host  "Collier at Large"
  • BERNARD HORSFALL, actor  "Dr. Who: The War Games", "Dr. Who: The Deadly Assassin"
  • LEROY "SUGARFOOT" BONNER, singer  "Ohio Players"
  • PATTY ANDREWS, singer  "The Andrews Sisters"
  • ED KOCH, politician  "Former Mayor of New York"
  • JOHN KERR, actor  "Pit and the Pendulum", "South Pacific"
  • REG PRESLEY, singer  "The Troggs"
  • TONY SHERIDAN, singer  "My Bonnie"
  • RICHARD BRIERS, actor  "The Good Life"
  • ELSPET GRAY, actress  "Solo", "The Black Adder"
  • OTIS "DAMON" HARRIS, singer  "The Temptations"
  • DAN TOLER, guitarist  "Allman Brothers Band"
  • C. EVERETT KOOP, former U.S. Surgeon General
  • RICHARD STREET, singer  "The Temptations"
  • ADAM STRANGE, director
  • VAN CLIBURN, pianist
  • RAY CUSICK, designer  "Doctor Who", "The Daleks"
  • BONNIE FRANKLIN, actress  "One Day at a Time"
  • BOBBY ROGERS, singer  "The Miracles"
  • ALVIN LEE, guitarist  "Ten Years After"
  • DEL TENNEY, director  "I Eat Your Skin",  "Horror at Party Beach"
  • CLAUDE KING, singer  "Wolverton Mountain"
  • CLIVE BURR, drummer  "Iron Maiden"
  • MALACHI THRONE, actor  "Star Trek"
  • BOBBY SMITH, singer  "The Spinners"
  • FRANK THORNTON, actor  "Are You Being Served?"
  • JAMES HERBERT, author  "The Rats"
  • RISE STEVENS, soprano
  • RICK HAUTALA, author  "Night Stone", "The Mountain King"
  • CHINUA ACHEBE, author  "Things Fall Apart"
  • RICHARD GRIFFITHS, actor  "Harry Potter series", "Gormenghast"
  • PHIL RAMONE, record producer
  • BOB CLARKE, artist  "Mad Magazine"
  • MILO O'SHEA, actor  "Theatre of Blood", "Barbarella"
  • JESUS FRANCO, director  "Count Dracula", "Dracula vs. Frankenstein"
  • ROGER EBERT, film critic
  • CARMINE INFANTINO, artist  "The Flash", "Batman"
  • BASIL COPPER, author  "Dark Things", "Necropolis"
  • MARGARET THATCHER, politician  "Former British Prime Minister"
  • ANNETTE FUNICELLO, actress/singer  "Beach Blanket Bingo"
  • JONATHAN WINTERS, comedian
  • SIR COLIN DAVIS, conductor
  • RICHARD LEPARMENTIER, actor  "Star Wars"
  • PAT SUMMERALL, TV sportscaster
  • ALLAN ARBUS, actor  "M*A*S*H*", "Coffy"
  • RICHIE HAVENS, singer
  • GEORGE JONES, singer  "He Stopped Loving Her Today"
  • DEANNA DURBIN, singer/actress
  • RAY HARRYHAUSEN, filmmaker/special effects  "Jason and the Argonauts"
  • BRYAN FORBES, actor/director  "League of Gentlemen", "The Stepford Wives"
  • DR. JOYCE BROTHERS, psychologist/TV personality
  • DICK TRICKLE, NASCAR driver
  • ALAN O'DAY, singer/songwriter  "Undercover Angel"
  • RAY MANZAREK, musician  "The Doors"
  • STEVE FORREST, actor  "S.W.A.T."
  • MARVIN JUNIOR, singer  "The Dells"
  • JEAN STAPLETON, actress  "All In the Family"
  • MANDAWUY YUNUPINGU, singer  "Yothu Yindi"
  • FRANK LAUTENBERG, New Jersey Senator
  • DEACON JONES, football player  "Los Angeles Rams"
  • JOEY COVINGTON, drummer  "Jefferson Airplane"
  • ESTHER WILLIAMS, actress  "Neptune's Daughter", "Bathing Beauty"
  • MAXINE STUART, actress  "Twilight Zone - Eye of the Beholder"
  • RICHARD RAMIREZ, serial killer
  • HARRY LEWIS, actor  "Key Largo", "Gun Crazy"
  • IAIN BANKS, author  "The Wasp Factory"
  • SLIM WHITMAN, singer  "Indian Love Call"
  • KIM THOMPSON, editor/publisher  "Fantagraphics", "The Comics Journal"
  • JAMES GANDOLFINI, actor  "The Sopranos", "In the Loop"
  • MICHAEL BAIGENT, author  "Holy Blood, Holy Grail"
  • ELLIOT REID, actor  "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", "CBS Radio Mystery Theater"
  • GARY DAVID GOLDBERG, writer/producer  "Family Ties"
  • RICHARD MATHESON, author  "The Shrinking Man", "I Am Legend", "Twilight Zone"
  • BOBBY "BLUE" BLAND, singer
  • ALAN MYERS, drummer  "Devo"
  • LAU KAR-LEUNG, director  "The 36th Chamber of Shaolin"
  • JIM KELLY, actor  "Enter the Dragon", "Black Belt Jones"
  • BOB CARTER, TV horror host  "Sammy Terry"
  • ANNA WING, actress  "EastEnders"
  • ALAN WHICKER, TV host  "Whicker's World"
  • MEL SMITH, actor/comedian  "Not the 9 O'clock News", "Brain Donors"
  • HELEN THOMAS, journalist "White House press corps"
  • J.J. CALE, songwriter/musician  "After Midnight", "Call Me the Breeze", "Cocaine"
  • EILEEN BRENNAN, actress  "Private Benjamin", "Murder By Death"
  • MICHAEL ANSARA, actor  "Star Trek"
  • GEORGE DUKE, jazz musician
  • JACK CLEMENT, singer/songwriter/producer  "Sun Records"
  • KAREN BLACK, actress  "Trilogy of Terror"
  • HAJI, actress  "Faster Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill!"
  • EYDIE GORME, singer
  • LOUIS KILLEN, folk singer
  • AMY WALLACE, author  "The People's Almanac", "The Book of Lists"
  • HENRY POLIC II, actor  "When Things Were Rotten", "Batman: The Animated Series"
  • BERT LANCE, politician
  • ELMORE LEONARD, author  "Jackie Brown", "3:10 To Yuma", "Get Shorty"
  • MARIAN MCPARTLAND, jazz musician
  • TED POST, director  "Hang 'Em High", "Magnum Force"
  • DENNIS FARINA, actor  "Snatch"
  • JULIE HARRIS, actress  "The Haunting", "East of Eden"
  • GERARD MURPHY, actor  "Dr. Who: Silver Nemesis", "Father Ted", "Batman Begins"
  • DAVID FROST, TV broadcaster  "That Was the Week That Was", "The Frost Report"
  • FREDERICK POHL, author
  • LOUISE CURRIE, actress  "You'll Find Out", "Voodoo Man", "Adventures of Captain Marvel", "Citizen Kane"
  • OTTO SANDER, actor  "Wings of Desire", "Das Boot"
  • JERRY G. BISHOP, TV horror host  "Svengoolie"
  • RICHARD C. SARAFIAN, director  "Vanishing Point", "Bound"
  • JAY ROBINSON, actor  "Dr. Shrinker", "Star Trek - Elaan of Troyius"
  • TOM CLANCY, author  "Patriot Games", "The Hunt for Red October"
  • PHIL CHEVRON, musician  "The Pogues"
  • CAL SMITH, singer  "Country Bumpkin"
  • KUMAR PALLANA, actor  "The Royal Tenenbaums"
  • SCOTT CARPENTER, astronaut
  • DAPHNE CALDER, actress  "The Overlanders"
  • LOU SCHEIMER, TV producer  "Filmation"
  • MARCIA WALLACE, actress  "The Bob Newhart Show"
  • LOU REED, musician  "Walk On the Wild Side"
  • NIGEL DAVENPORT, actor  "A Man For All Seasons", "Dracula (1973)", "Peeping Tom"
  • NICK CARDY, comic book artist  "Aquaman", "Teen Titans"
  • MANFRED ROMMEL, German politician
  • SIR JOHN TAVENER, composer
  • PAUL MANTEE, actor  "Robinson Crusoe on Mars"
  • AL PLASTINO, comic book artist  "Superman"
  • CHICO HAMILTON, jazz drummer
  • TONY MUSANTE, actor  "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage"
  • OLIVER CHEATHAM, singer  "Get Down Saturday Night"
  • JEAN KENT, actress  "The Prince and the Showgirl", "The Haunted Strangler"
  • PAUL WALKER, actor  "The Fast and the Furious", "Pleasantville"
  • TABU LEY ROCHEREAU, singer
  • JUNIOR MURVIN, singer  "Police and Thieves"
  • BARRY JACKSON, actor  "Dr. Who - The Armageddon Factor", "Dr. Who - The Romans"
  • NELSON MANDELA, activist/politician
  • COLIN WILSON, author  "Unsolved Mysteries"
  • ELEANOR PARKER, actress  "The Naked Jungle"
  • AUDREY TOTTER, actress  "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "Medical Center"
  • TOM LAUGHLIN, actor  "Billy Jack"
  • PETER O'TOOLE, actor  "The Lion In Winter", "Becket", "Lawrence of Arabia"
  • JOAN FONTAINE, actress  "Rebecca", "Suspicion"
  • RAY PRICE, singer  "For the Good Times", "Heartaches By the Number"
  • JOHN EISENHOWER, historian/ambassador
  • JOHN FORTUNE, comedian  "Bird and Fortune"



Portrait of the Grim Reaper by Steve Ring.

1 comment:

ernest said...

As always, a sad reminder of, not only,how the lives of people we've never met in person affect us, but of our own mortality.